Where His Heart Is
by pinkchoco
Summary: Takes place after 3rd season. Amy and Colin ...yes, he's alive!... are studying in New York. Ephram got accepted at Juilliard. When a new beautiful woman enters his life, Amy gets jealous. Why? And what will happen?
1. Snowed In

Hello everyone!

This is my first fanfic ever. So please be nice. I have thought for a long time that I couldn't write but writing this chapter was actually quite easy and I enjoyed it. Now I hope you like my story too. I am looking forward to your reviews. Please tell me if you would like updates, where you would like the story to go and what I could do better in the next chapters. Who would you like Ephram to end up with…Amy or Jenna? Even though I totally love Ephramy, I somehow like the idea of a new love for Ephram. Everything is possible. Muahahaha. What do you think?

By the way, English is not my mother tongue, it's German, so I apologise in advance for all mistakes I make. To all Americans: I am writing this story in British English, because that's what I learned at school, hope you don't mind.

Disclaimer: I do not own Everwood or its characters. They were all invented by the fabulous Greg Berlanti.

What happened before: 1st season like in the series, but: Colin survives the second surgery. After a few months Amy breaks up with him. 2nd and 3rd season like in the series (Ephram is with Madison, she gets pregnant, Ephram doesn't know. Ephram and Amy get together; they break up after Ephram finds out Madison had his baby. Ephram leaves for Europe.) While he is gone Amy starts to have feelings for Colin again and they get back together. Rose never has cancer. After the summer Amy and Colin go to New York to study at Columbia University. Meanwhile Ephram has returned from Europe and with the help of a famous piano player he met in London he gets another Juilliard audition. Luckily he gets in. There he meets Jenna, a young drama student from Hamilton, Colorado. With two other people they share an apartment and they soon become friends.

Chapter One: Snowed In

There they were…four young people in a small town in the middle of Iowa. Outside snow was falling heavily. It was one of those days, when Everwoodians would get out their emergency blankets and tooth brushes for guest that were forced to stay because they were snowed in. Amy Abbott, Colin Hart, Ephram Brown and Jenna Adams had all agreed to share a car to go from New York back to Colorado for the Christmas holidays. The weather forecast had been promising and their moods had been brilliant, except for a few jealous glances Amy had shot at Jenna. But no one had noticed them, not even Amy herself. Because they all had been hungry after the long drive they had left the highway to get some lunch at a burger restaurant. They had been chatting and laughing over their burgers and hot drinks when suddenly dark grey clouds covered the sky. And before they even noticed an angry snow storm had started.

Within a few minutes the world outside the little restaurant seemed to have changed completely. The big fir trees were soon covered in snow and so were the roads. "We should probably leave soon, if we want to be home before dinner", Ephram said. "You are so greedy, you just had food for ten", Colin said jokingly, throwing his napkin at him. "No one will go anywhere anymore today, I am afraid", said Sarah the waitress, looking out of the window astonished. Then they suddenly realised…the roads had become impassable; they would have to find a place to spend the night. Somehow reading their thoughts Sarah said: "There's a Motel just five minutes up the road from here. You could leave your car here and get it in the morning. By then this storm should have stopped and Mr. Jenkins should have cleared the road towards the highway. He is the local winter maintenance worker you know."

"Well, we don't really have another option, do we?" Amy said obviously upset. She had been looking forward to seeing her parents and her brother Bright and now she would have to wait another day. After all she hadn't been home in Everwood since her grandmother's and Irv's wedding at the end of September. It had been the day when Ephram had surprisingly come back to Everwood, telling everyone he would go to Juilliard. A few days later Amy, Ephram and Colin had left for New York. Sarah nodded understandingly: "you don't have to go over straight away. You can stay here as long as you want to. We got a pinball machine over there." "Cool", Ephram and Colin said simultaneously. Then Sarah went on: "Mr. Jones the Motel owner is a bit grumpy. But apart from that the place really isn't that bad. It's clean and cheap."

"Thank you Sarah", Jenna said. "No problem", Sarah replied, "Call me if you need anything" and with that she went back into the kitchen. "Aww, don't be upset Amy. I know you wanted to see your family today. But you will see, we will just make ourselves a nice evening and tomorrow we will be home in no time," Colin said pulling Amy into a loving hug and kissing her cheek. Amy smiled weakly. "That's better", Colin said giving her another kiss.

Ephram could understand Amy. She had always been very close to her family, especially to her father. It was only understandable that she was disappointed. He on the other hand wasn't looking forward to seeing his father at all. Sure, he wanted to see his sister Delia. She had begged him in her emails to come home for Christmas and he had promised her to do so. But if it wasn't for her he would never have gone. In the few days he had been at home before he went to New York, he and his father had not spoken at all, not that Ephram had wanted to. He still hadn't forgiven him for not telling him about Madison's pregnancy. He didn't know if he ever would.

The four friends spend the next two hours drinking strawberry milk shakes and playing pinball. The girls couldn't help laughing over the boy's enthusiasm with the pinball reminded them of little boys in their attempt to beat each others records. They had entirely lost track of time when all of a sudden Sarah spoke to them: "I really don't want to kick you out guys, but it's getting dark outside. You better get going now. Fortunately the snow fall has weakened for a bit now." "It's alright, Sarah. Thanks again for your help", Amy answered.

Five minutes later they had dressed and went outside. Amy cursed herself for having decided to wear her sneakers on the way home instead of her knee high boots. Indeed, the snow on the road was almost knee high now and Amy knew her feet would be soaking by the time they reached the Motel. "Let's go, love", Colin said taking her hand in his. Slowly they started walking towards the Motel. Colin and Amy hand in hand and Ephram and Jenna walking behind them.

When they finally arrived there after fifteen minutes instead of five like Sarah had said they felt relieved. Standing in the entrance hall they had a good look around. The Motel did really look very clean and through the door to their right they could spot a cosy looking common room that had two couches, a little table with a stack of board games and even a lit fireplace. Mr. Jones, on the other hand, was visibly not pleased about their unsuspected arrival, even more so because they had disturbed him from watching his favourite daily soap. So he only reluctantly gave them their keys for two double bedrooms.

"Okay guys, I would say we go to our rooms now and then meet in an hour or so for a game of Monopoly." Colin said taking Amy's hand again. "What…why…" Amy said confused "I thought Jenna and I would..." Amy never had thought about sharing a room with her boyfriend. Not that she hadn't done it before; it was more the fact that in that case Ephram and Jenna would be staying together in the other room. For some strange reason that thought made her jealous. "Oh come on, they practically live together", Colin said "it's not like Ephram would take advantage of her." "Yes ok", she said even though she still didn't like it. _What the hell is wrong with me?_ she thought.


	2. I like Scrabble!

Chapter Two: I like Scrabble!

After a kissing session with Colin on the bed of their Motel room Amy felt a lot better. It had somehow taken her mind off thinking about Ephram and Jenna's relationship. Now her thoughts had gone back to them. "We should go, they are probably waiting for us." But Colin seemed to have changed his mind as he gently pushed her back onto the bed and started kissing her again. "Hmm, I could do this forever, you are so nice and warm and your skin is so soft", he said nibbling on her throat. "I know you could", said Amy, letting out a little moan of pleasure "only that you wouldn't stop there." "I don't know what you are talking about", Colin replied innocently with a cheeky grin on his face. "You know exactly what I am talking about ; you would seduce me this instant if I let you." "You could be right there", Colin said still grinning. At that Amy started to tickle him and when he was bent with laughter she quickly got up. "Maybe later" she said with a wink "and now get up lazybones."

As they arrived in the common room a few minutes later, Ephram and Jenna were already sitting on one of the couches. "Hey you two," Jenna greeted them friendly "ready for a game of Monopoly?" "Sure", Amy said, and then added looking at both Ephram and Colin "but only if no one is cheating." Amy knew they were both big kids when it came to games and they hated to lose. "Ok then, I will be the bank. Which game pieces do you want?" Jenna said pointing towards them.

Two hours later, in the meantime had provided them with hot tea and sandwiches, the game was finally over. To his great delight, Colin had won. "Cheater!" Ephram accused. Colin didn't say anything; he only poked his tongue out at him. Amy just rolled her eyes. "What do you want to play next?" Jenna asked. "What about Scrabble?" Ephram said. "No, that's boring. What about Risk?" Colin suggested. "I like Scrabble!" Amy said, and when she looked up Ephram's eyes met hers and they both smiled. They both knew they were thinking of the same incident.

Amy remembered that day as if it was yesterday. The day she had gone to Denver for Colin's first brain surgery. Even though she had known was one of the best American brain surgeons, she had been so worried. And then all of a sudden Ephram had turned up there, entirely unexpected:

_(flashback)__Amy at a vending machine in the hospital. Ephram walks up and watches her for a moment.  
Ephram: You're holding up the line.  
Amy: Ephram. What are you doing here?  
Ephram: I wanted a Twix.  
Amy: You came a long way.  
Ephram: Well, there's two in a pack. I really only wanted one. I needed somebody to share it with.  
Amy types in the code for a Twix and she picks it up._

She hadn't even asked him to come that day. He had just known she needed him. They had gone to the hospital's cafeteria where they played board games including Scrabble for the biggest part of the day. _It was kind of amazing… _Amy thought. Out of all her friends he had been the only one who showed up that day.

Amy suddenly knew what was wrong with her. She missed Ephram. She just missed spending time with him, talking to him. During the last months in New York they had met a couple of times, but there had always been other people around, like Colin and Jenna, or Joshua and Aileen, the two other young students Ephram and Jenna shared their apartment with. Of course they had talked too, but it had been different. Before she had been able to talk about almost everything with him, about ordinary everyday things but also about very private topics. He had always listened and given her his advice or had cheered her up in his own kind of way. And she had trusted him completely. He had been her boyfriend and best friend in one person. Now, however, their talks lacked the intimacy they had before he went to Europe. But why was she so jealous towards Jenna? Was she afraid Jenna would become Ephram's new best friend, the place in his life that she wanted back so desperately? Possibly. Or was there more she wanted of him? She wasn't sure about that. After all she was in love with Colin and only him, or wasn't she?

She looked over to Jenna. _She is actually a very nice girl_, Amy thought. _And she is pretty too, even though I wouldn't normally think she's Ephram's type. He likes blondes. I wonder why she doesn't have a boyfriend. I bet she could have loads. _"Is everything ok Amy? Why are you staring at me?" Jenna asked. "I'm sorry. I wasn't aware I was staring at you", said Amy slightly embarrassed. "I…uhmm…I was just wondering…How come you don't have a boyfriend?" "Actually I had a boyfriend until a few months ago, but we broke up. We had been together for over two years. I don't feel ready for a new relationship yet" Jenna said with a sad look in her eyes. "You really don't have to talk about it if it makes you upset" Amy said trying to appease her. "No, it's ok" Jenna said "I don't see why you guys shouldn't know the whole story..."

And the whole story she told them. How she met Thomas at high school and that he was a year older than her. That he had gone to study in Denver, while she still was in her senior year at high school. She told them that at first everything between them had been ok, that he had come home to see her every weekend. Then all at once she had recognised a change in him but had refused to believe it for a long time. He had come home less and less frequently always denying that anything was wrong. One day though he had told her totally out of the blue that he didn't love her anymore and had broken up with her. Later Jenna had found out that he had had an affair with an exchange student from Brazil for months.

When Jenna had finished Amy said "Oh, I am so sorry." She was now feeling guilty of having brought up the topic in the first place. Sensing Amy's uneasiness Jenna said "It's really ok, don't worry. Talking about him doesn't hurt so much anymore. It took me a long time but now I am actually quite over him. I am just not ready for dating again." "Yes, I understand" Amy said nodding. It made sense. And to be honest, Jenna had never given her any reason to believe that she was after Ephram in a romantic kind of way. Neither had Ephram given an indication that he wanted more than Jenna's friendship. Amy decided that she would try to be nicer to Jenna in the future and that she definitely had to talk to Ephram.


	3. In a New Light

Chapter Three: In a New Light

Later that night in their room, Ephram was just reading a book on Jazz, when Jenna started talking to him. "Ephram, do you think Amy is ok?" "What do you mean?" Ephram asked looking up from his book instantaneously "I mean she was a bit strange tonight, don't you think? Actually the whole day already..." Jenna answered "like she was lost in thoughts all the time or something. She didn't really talk a lot." "You think so too?" Ephram asked "I had the impression once or twice this evening that she was very quiet." Jenna nodded and continued "And then later she asked all these weird questions about my ex. I wonder why she was so interested in him." "I have no answer to that" Ephram replied apologising. "Well, never mind." Jenna sighed "Maybe you get a chance to talk to her soon. I am going for a shower now."

As she stepped under the shower, Ephram went back to reading his book. But he couldn't concentrate anymore. He was thinking about what Jenna had said, asking himself whether Amy had really acted weird that day. Trying to recall certain moments of the day, he had to admit that she had really been unusually quiet. And a person who didn't know Amy as well as him probably wouldn't have noticed it, but Ephram found that Amy had looked a bit unhappy. _Could she have a problem that is worrying her? Maybe. But she has Colin now, so I guess she could talk to him about it. Plus she still has her family and Hannah, or her new roommate Angela. _Ephram had the feeling that there was something else. But what could it be?

Twenty minutes later Jenna stepped out of the shower, wrapped a big towel around herself and went back into their room to get her hairbrush. Having been lost in his thoughts completely, Ephram hadn't realised that she had turned the shower off and he was startled when she entered the room. He looked up at her and was so amazed by what he saw that he couldn't take his eyes off of her. For the first time he saw how beautiful and sexy she really was.

Her skin was still a bit damp and her cheeks were rosy from the hot water. Even though he knew she hated to exercise, her body was in good shape. She was quite small, only about 5"2' but her legs were rather long. Her bum was well formed and her breasts were just about the size Ephram liked. But her most attractive part was her pretty face. Her pale skin was in contrast with her long dark brown, almost black hair that fell smoothly over her shoulders. She had a cute little snub nose, a small but full lipped mouth and some of the most stunning blue eyes he had ever seen. She could have been a princess from one of the fairy tales his mother had read to him as a little kid, Ephram thought, indeed she looked like Snowwhite.

Jenna smiled as she went back into the bathroom to brush her hair and get dressed. She knew that Ephram had just checked her out and judging the look on his face he had liked what he saw. But Jenna wasn't mad about it. Not at all. It felt good to know that men still found her attractive. After the break-up with her ex-boyfriend and the discovery that had followed, her self-esteem had been extremely low. Naturally her friends had told her time and time again that it hadn't been her fault and that he was the biggest idiot of all times, but nevertheless she had asked herself many times if she could have done something to prevent him from cheating on her in the first place. Only gradually she had come out of her rabbit hole. And when she had, other men's flirtatious glances and whistles had been like soothing balm for her wounded soul.

Realising what he had been doing, Ephram felt a bit ashamed. His mother had always told him to respect women, that their hearts were much more important than their bodies. And Jenna had a good heart, no doubt about that. But after all he was just a man. He had needs. Of course he masturbated sometimes when it got really bad, but that wasn't the same as being with a woman. Actually Amy had been the last woman he had slept with and that had been over five months ago. Since then he hadn't even kissed another woman. But wait, he suddenly remembered, there had been a kiss!

One day, about two weeks ago, Amy and Colin had come to their place with a bunch of DVDs for them to watch. Horror-struck, Ephram had realised that they had no food there whatsoever while he was already starving. A few minutes later Jenna had turned up, carrying a huge bag, fully loaded with his favourite Chinese food. He had been so glad, that without thinking he had grabbed her, had bent her down like they sometimes did in the movies and had given her a hearty kiss directly onto her mouth. Of course Ephram had only meant it amicably and Jenna had just laughed afterwards but could it be possible that Amy had misinterpreted this kiss? The more Ephram thought about it, the more he was sure that this occurrence was the reason for Amy's weird behaviour. She was jealous. But jealousy was always born with love, or wasn't it?


	4. Pillow Talk

Chapter Four: Pillow Talk

When he woke up the next morning, Ephram found himself lying on his side, snuggled up against Jenna with his arms closely wrapped around her waist. Not wanting to wake her, he decided not to move until she would wake up herself. It didn't feel too bad to have her in his arms, Ephram thought, it actually felt quite good, warm and soft. And she smelled good too, he noticed, her hair had that typical flowery scent he loved on a woman. Ephram snuggled up closer and he felt so comfortable that he would have fallen asleep again soon, hadn't she suddenly woken up.

"Hey", Ephram said gently. "Hey", Jenna replied still half asleep, but noticing the position they were in she hissed at him angrily "what the hell do you think you are doing?" "I am sorry", Ephram said releasing her and shifting over a bit "I just woke up a few minutes ago, and I know as much as you do, honestly. I didn't want to wake you up, that's why I didn't move. But I have no idea how we got into this position, I swear. It has happened to me before actually, with Amy and with my parents when I was little. It seems I have a habit of snuggling up against people and hugging them while I am asleep, I just don't know why or how it exactly happens. Please don't be mad at me."

Jenna thought for a moment and then looking into his sea blue eyes as if to check whether they were telling the truth, she said: "I am not mad at you; I was just a bit shocked", and seeing the relieved look in his eyes she added smiling "So I guess I will forgive you." "Thanks", Ephram said smiling back at her. "What time is it anyway?" Jenna asked to change the topic. "Oh, it's just 6:30, so still quite early", Ephram answered. "When do you think we should leave?" Jenna asked. "Oh, I don't know", Ephram said "but Amy is a late riser and terribly grumpy when she has to get up early in the morning, so I guess we should let her and Colin sleep a bit longer. Otherwise she will be awfully moody later, and believe me we don't want that..."

"You know her quite well, don't you?" Jenna noted. "Yeah,I guess so" Ephram said. "After all I have known her for over three years now. We have been friends for a long time. In fact we have been friends almost since the day we moved to Everwood. Plus she used to be my girlfriend for almost a year. We have gone through a lot together, you know." Then all of a sudden, as if afraid that too many emotions would come up if he kept thinking of her, Ephram felt the urge to change the topic. "But let's not talk about Amy now" he said firmly.

Eyeing him suspiciously Jenna asked: "What do you suggest we should talk about instead?" "Hmm, I don't know." Ephram said "Got anything special planned for the next few days? What about the famous Adams' Christmas traditions?" But Jenna just laughed and said "there are no famous Adams' Christmas traditions. We probably share our Christmas traditions with millions of other families in America. There's really nothing special about them. My brother and I usually wake up early on Christmas morning. We go downstairs to see the presents around the tree trying to figure out what's inside all of the boxes. Then we wake up our parents and drag them downstairs. After opening all our presents, I normally go help my mom with cooking dinner, while Jamie plays with his new toys and dad watches TV. Later we have dinner and in the afternoon we either go for a walk, play board games or watch TV together. That's about it really."

"Actually, I always find Christmas a bit boring now" Jenna admitted. "I mean, it's just not the same it used to be when I was little." "I know what you mean" Ephram said "I used to be all excited about it when I was a kid. I was even counting the days until Christmas, usually starting sometime in September" he laughed "now it seems all different." "Yes, exactly", Jenna said "I was like that too." "What I also don't understand is" Ephram said interrupting her "why people are always telling you to be nicer to each other just because it's Christmas. I mean if you are mad at someone, why should you pretend you are not just for these few days? It doesn't help anyone really. It's all fake."

"You are talking about your father, right?" Jenna asked cautiously. "How do you know?" Ephram asked clearly surprised. "Well, I might not have known you for a very long time", Jenna answered "but you are quite transparent sometimes. Don't worry, it's not like I can read your thoughts or anything. I can't explain it. I sometimes just know what you are going to say next. Maybe it's because we hang out so often." "So you want to talk about him?" she asked "I mean you don't have to." "No, no, it's not like I don't want to talk about him", Ephram assured her "my problem is that I don't even know how I feel about him anymore. And then there's Delia. She's such a great kid. She deserves a nice Christmas..."

"Are you still angry with him?" Jenna asked. "A bit I guess", Ephram said "but not as much anymore as I used to be." After thinking for a short moment, she replied "I think you should forgive him." "But…" Ephram tried to interrupt her, but Jenna wouldn't let him. "Ephram, forgiving and forgetting are two different things. I am not asking you to forget everything that happened. You probably never will, and neither will he. But from what you have told me I know that he is truly sorry and would do anything to make it undone. But he can't, Ephram. Not now and not in a fifty years." "I know" Ephram said sadly. "I really think you should talk to him" Jenna said while stroking his arm "do it for Delia."

"You are probably right" Ephram admitted "how come you are so clever?" "Don't know. I've always been like this" Jenna said with a sassy grin. "You are a good friend, Jenna", Ephram said gently brushing a loose strand of hair over her forehead "thank you." "You're welcome, Ephram", Jenna replied slightly blushing "you are a good friend too."


	5. Snow Fun

Chapter Five: Snow Fun

Ephram and Jenna had been so engrossed in their talk that they didn't hear the knocking on their door at first. "Wake up you sloths!" Colin shouted and knocked even louder. "Alright, alright", Ephram said "we are awake." "Ok, get your asses out of bed then and get ready" Colin answered. "We'll be waiting for you in the common room. But get a move on!"Ephram returned to looking at Jenna and said "I don't really feel like getting up, but we better hurry. After all Colin has got the car keys." "Do you really think they would leave without us?" Jenna asked. "Don't know" Ephram said "but I don't really want to find out." Jenna nodded. "Anyway", Ephram continued "thanks again for the talk, you really helped me figure out a few things. Maybe we can do it again sometime soon."

"In bed you mean?" Jenna asked feeling heat rush into her face. But instead of answering, Ephram just laughed. He hadn't meant it that way. But now that he thought about it, it didn't seem like such a bad idea. After all they were both adults, single and they liked each other. When Jenna looked at him questioningly, Ephram just said "I make you nervous, don't I?" He reached out to toy with the tips of her hair and she blushed even more. _She is a pretty thing_, Ephram thought, _but terribly shy and easily flustered_. He wondered what it would take to relax her. He wanted to kiss her, curious to know how her mouth tasted. But they were under time pressure and Jenna was already embarrassed so Ephram decided this was not the right moment.

Feeling the awkwardness of the situation, Jenna desperately thought of something to say to get out of it. Almost like reading her thoughts Ephram suddenly said "Whoever gets to the bathroom first..." They both jumped up at once and raced towards said room but Ephram was faster. "Oi, never heard the saying ‚ladies first'? You should let me win" Jenna said just as Ephram walked through the door in front of her. "No, i dont think so" Ephram laughed "besides I am busting for a pee." "Me too" Jenna answered. "Well, tough" Ephram said "you will have to wait" and despite seeing her pout he closed the bathroom door right in front of her face. "You'll regret this" she cried through the closed door. "Good" Ephram answered smirking.

Half an hour later they were all ready and went outside. It was a beautiful day with blue skies and sunshine. Everything around them was covered in snow. It looked like the world had been sprinkled with icing sugar. "I always find it amazing how snow can transform an average landscape into something this beautiful" Amy said beaming with joy "it seems like a whole new world." They all agreed and slowly started walking towards the Diner. Like Sarah had promised the road had been cleared. Obviously Mr. Jenkins was a man you could count on. They went into the Diner and after a rich breakfast consisting of jam toasts, sausages and scrambled eggs and bacon they decided it was time to go home.

"Damn it" Colin said as they reached their car "it's covered in ice. And as it's rented, we got no ice scrapers whatsoever. This is just great!" They had to go back to the Diner to ask for help. Fortunately Sarah was prepared for such occasions and could lend them some ice scrapers. But winter had done its job properly, so it took the boys a long time to get most of the ice off the windscreen and the windows all the while being cheered on by the girls.

"Oi, you lazy buggers!", Ephram said annoyed "why don't you help?" "But Ephram, you don't really mean that, do you?" Amy answered with a cheeky grin on her face. "I mean you and Colin are two perfect gentlemen who would never ask weak women like us to help with an important task like this." Jenna nodded and grinned too. "You cheeky little witches!" Ephram exclaimed bending down to scoop up a handful of snow off the hood "But wait, you'll get what you deserve for teasing us so." And before he had finished talking he had thrown a snowball at Amy followed by another quick one directed at Jenna. But Amy had expected it, so she was able to duck in time and avoid it. Jenna was not so lucky as her snowball hit her directly on the forehead, stinging her skin with its icy coldness.

"This means war!" she shouted and grinning now packed her own tight ball of snow and chucked it at Ephram. He ducked, but not in time, and her snow ball hit his shoulder hard. But instead of throwing another one back at her, he threw one at Colin saying "Come on man. You gotta help me. We can't let these chicks win." After a moment of hesitation Colin said "why not" and joined the fight. And all of a sudden, everyone was scooping up snow, throwing and ducking, screaming and laughing.

After Ephram had hit her face with an exceptionally huge snowball Jenna yelled "That's it!" and went after him. He was quite fast but eventually she managed to catch him and push him down to the snow. When she pulled his waistband, Ephram realised what she was about to do and screamed "No! Do it and I swear I will smack your butt!" But it was too late. Jenna had already shoved a handful of snow down the front of his pants. Ephram got up immediately and jumping up and down he tried to get rid of the snow. "What the hell!" he hissed at her angrily "Do you want my bits to freeze and fall off?" "No I don't. But I told you I would get my revenge for this morning" Jenna said grinning while Ephram gave her a black look. "Ok guys, game over" Colin said commandingly "Get into the car! Now!"

A short while later they were on the road. Thanks to the radiator they were all nice and warm again and much to Ephram's relief none of their body parts had fallen off. Colin was driving, Amy was sitting next to him and Ephram and Jenna in the back row. To keep them entertained, Colin turned on the radio and encouraged them to sing along to the music. They were no exceptionally good singers, but they enjoyed it and it helped them pass some time. Once or twice Amy found herself observing Ephram's reflection in the rearview mirrow, but Ephram noticed it and she quickly looked away. She felt embarrassed but at least Colin and Jenna hadn't seen it.

The roads were icy so they were forced to drive slowly. And when they finally reached Colorado it was dark outside. They went to Hamilton first to drop Jenna off. "Goodbye Snowwhite" Ephraim said when she got out of the car. "Snowwhite?" Jenna asked lifting an eyebrow. "Seems like you got yourself a nickname" Colin grinned "And a fitting one too I find. Don't even try to make us stop using it. No chance!" "Ok then" Jenna smiled even though not entirely convinced "I will call you, Ephram. Bye everyone! And have a nice Christmas!" Fortunately Everwood was not far from Hamilton, so it didn't take them very long to get there. Colin was the next one to get dropped off. "Bye Grover, call me!" he told Amy and kissed her. And when Ephram got into the driver's seat Colin said to him "You drive safe. And take care of Amy." _Not too much though_, he added in his thoughts.

Ephram parked the car outside of the Abbott house a few minutes later, then he got outside to open Amys door. "Thank you" Amy said and smiled at him as she stepped outside. Just as she started walking towards her house, Ephram stopped her "Amy, wait!" "Yes? " she asked turning around. "I know this is going to sound a bit weird as we aren't together anymore", Ephram said "but I got you a Christmas present." "You did?" Amy asked, her eyes widening. "But I didn't get you anything." "Don't worry" Ephram answered "I wasn't expecting anything. I just got you this present a while ago and I really wanted to give it to you in person."

He went to the car, rummaged in his bag for a while and when he came back handed her a little box wrapped in dark red paper and decorated with a matching ribbon. Amy looked at it smiling. She knew Ephram had wrapped it himself. He always did. It was far from being perfect but Amy still found it cute. "You want me to wait until Christmas or can I open it now?" she asked. "Yes sure, you can open it now if you want" Ephram answered smiling. Amy's hands trembled as she untied the ribbon and tore the paper apart. A small jewellery box appeared and when Amy opened it she couldn't believe her eyes "Oh my god, Ephram!"

Inside was a silver bracelet trimmed with little butterfly shaped crystals Amy knew very well. She had seen and admired it before. It had been the day Ephram and her had gone shopping in Denver almost a year ago. Afterwards she had regretted not to have bought it. "It took me a while to find it in New York." Ephram said interrupting her thoughts "So do you like it?" "Are you kidding me? I absolutely love it!" Amy answered smiling. "I can't believe you remembered" she said softly running her finger over the bracelet. When she became very quiet again, Ephram turned his head to study her face. "Are you alright Amy?" he said honestly concerned "Yes, I am ok" Amy lied. "I don't just mean today, but in general" Ephram said "I know we haven't exactly been best friends lately, but you know you can always come to me if you need me, right?" Amy nodded and tried to smile.

But Ephram couldn't be fooled. She still looked upset and he suddenly felt the strong need to touch her. He wondered how she would react if he just hugged her. _So what?_ he tought and in a smooth motion he pulled her towards himself, wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Amy was surprised at first but she felt so comfortable in Ephrams arms that she soon started to hug him back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head against his chest. And Ephram just held her, not for his own gain but simply to comfort her. He decided he wouldn't let go until she wanted him to. He gently stroked her hair while his other hand slowly caressed her back. It had been so long since their last hug that Amy had almost forgotten how good his body felt against hers. But then all of a sudden Amy felt so overwhelmed by her emotions that tears started to form in her eyes.

She quickly broke away from him, not looking at him anymore. "I am sorry, Ephram" was all she said before walking off. She didn't want him to see her face. Ephram watched her walking towards her snow was crunching under her feet. He was confused, one minute she had hugged him back, the other minute she had stormed off without even looking at him. And above all she had sounded like on the edge of crying. When she disappeared inside, he got back into his car and started the engine. _Women,_ he thought, _I will never understand them._


	6. Home, Sweet Home

Chapter Six: Home, Sweet Home

Amy didn't need to turn around to know that he was still there, that he was watching her. She took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. Her mother opened the door "Amy, Darling. Hello!" she said letting Amy in and kissing her cheek. Harold and Bright walked around the corner to greet her. "Amy, you're finally home. I missed you so much" Harold said wiping a tear from his face and hugging her. "I missed you too, Dad" Amy answered. "Hey little sis'" Bright said putting his arm around her shoulders and giving her a squeeze. "There's someone else waiting for you" he added pointing up to the staircase. When Amy looked up she saw a familiar face with long brown curls and glasses. "Hannah!"

"What are you doing here?" Amy asked excitedly "I mean, it's good to see you. But how come you are here?" "Well, actually I was supposed to go to Minnesota" Hannah answered walking down the stairs "but I didn't feel like flying this year. Nina, Sam and Jake went to L.A. to spend Christmas with his family. I could have gone with them too, but that also would have meant flying. Besides the Californian sun doesn't really agree with my skin anyway. Then your father came up with the idea that I could stay with you guys. And here I am! I mean how could I have said no to spending Christmas with my boyfriend?"she said smiling at Bright. "Plus I really missed you Amy. If I had gone home we probably wouldn't have seen each other till next summer." "Aww, I missed you too Hannah" Amy said and hugged her. "I have so much to tell you." "And you will have a lot of time to do that later" Rose said interrupting them "but let's have dinner first."

Not long after that Ephram Brown went through his own front door. "Ephram, hi" his father said. "Hi Dad" he replied. "I was expecting you yesterday already. What happened?" Andy asked. "Nothing much" Ephram answered "except from being snowed in for a night somewhere in Iowa." "I am sorry to hear that. But you should have called. I was truly worried." Andy said. "I am sorry Dad. You are right. I should have called." Ephram said when he saw his fathers sad face. "At least you are here now and in one piece. That's all that matters" Andy said trying to smile."So are you hungry?" "Did you cook?" Ephram asked. "Yes I did. But I am much better at it 'll see." "Ok then. I am starving" Ephram answered and smiled at his father. Andy was happy. It was the first honest smile Ephram had given him in a long time. Maybe there was a chance his son would forgive him after all.

"Hey, this is not bad!" Ephram exclaimed as he greedily ate his chicken teriyaki and salad a few minutes later. "Well, thank you" Andy said proudly "I really think my cooking skills have improved since Nina gave me that 'Cooking for Dummies' cookbook for my birthday. Even Delia says it." "Yes? Where is my little sister anyway?" Ephram asked. "Oh, she is on the phone with Britney" Andy answered. "They are talking on the phone all the time now. All top secret girl stuff. She even wants her own line, but I won't allow it. She is just twelve after all." "Wait I am going to call her." At that Andy walked out of the dining room and yelled up the stairs "Delia, your brother is home. Hang up already!" "Yes, yes Dad. I'll be there in a minute" Delia yelled back.

"I need to hang up Britney." Delia spoke into the phone. "My brother just got home and I want to go see him. Plus my father will probably pull the plug out if I don't hang up soon." "Wait, doesn't your brother always hang out with Bright?" Britney wanted to know. "He is so hot! Of course your brother is hot too but not as hot as Bright." "Britney! I really have to go" Delia almost shouted now. "Ok, ok" Britney said "but promise me you will try to arrange a meeting with Bright. Just make sure that boring girlfriend of his isn't there too. Anna, or whatever her name was." "It's Hannah, actually. But ok, I promise. Bye!" Delia said with crossed fingers behind her back and hung up the phone. She didn't like the idea of Bright and Britney in the same room. She had had a crush on him ever since she first met him over three years ago but had never told anyone, not even Britney. "Delia!" her father yelled up the stairs again.

"Ephram!" Delia shouted as she ran down the stairs and into the kitchen. She almost knocked him over when she jumped up to hug him energetically. "Hey, what took you so long? I thought I would never see my little sister today" he accused but when he saw her guilty expression he quickly added "Aww, I am not angry with you. I know Britney can be quite a chatterbox sometimes. It's just that I really missed you kiddo." "I missed you too, Ephram" Delia said hugging him once more. "So how is my little sister?" Ephram asked. "I am fine" Delia said smiling now. "What about you?" "I am fine too, thanks" Ephram said glad to see her smile again. "By the way. I got you something from New York" Ephram said pulling a large paper bag out of his backpack. When Delia saw what was inside her face lit up with joy "Black and white cookies! They are my favourites!"

They next morning, Ephram was sitting in the kitchen eating his cereal, when he felt something move below the table. When he looked down he saw it was a small grey cat rubbing against his legs and purring. "Hey little pussycat, how did you get in here?" Ephram asked gently stroking the little cat's back. "Her name is Smokey" Delia said as she walked into the kitchen "she's my new cat." "You mean your cat, like in 'your' cat?" Ephram asked and when Delia nodded he added "How did you do it? I mean I know Dad isn't exactly an animal lover. He maybe likes to eat them, but that's about it. So how did you persuade him?" "I didn't need that much persuasion actually." Delia said "Smokey here just turned up on our front porch one day and didn't go away anymore. Of course Dad made me hang up posters everywhere to find the rightful owner. But either she really didn't belong to anyone or her owner didn't want her back anymore. So he allowed me to keep her. That was almost a month ago and Smokey has been here ever since."

"Seems like he is getting soft now" Ephram said thinking "I am not envious or anything, but I wasn't allowed as much as you are when I was your age. I remember when I was ten and wanted a dog. I begged him for months, but he just wouldn't give in." "Yes, I think you are right. He is not as strict anymore as he used to be." Delia said. "Do you think there is a reason?" Ephram asked. "I don't know" Delia answered "but I have the feeling he has been upset quite often lately. It's probably because you guys are fighting that he allows me more now. But I think it also has to do with Nina." "Yeah, what makes you think that?" Ephram asked "I always thought they got along so well." "Apparently he really likes her." Delia said. "But she is with Jake. And ever since Dad kissed her she has been acting weird."

"What? They kissed?" Ephram asked astonished "I didn't know that. When did it happen?" "It was last summer, shortly after you went to Europe." Delia explained. "I was upstairs in my bedroom bored and they were outside in the yard when it happened. They didn't know I was watching them. But then Jake turned up. I don't think he saw anything, but Nina has been really strange since that day." "Define strange" Ephram said. "Well, she doesn't come over as often as she used to. Truthfully, she hardly ever comes over anymore. I really miss her, but I think it's a lot worse for Dad." "Wow, I had no idea." Ephram said and when he got silent Delia asked "Ephram, will you two ever stop fighting? I mean I don't know exactly what happened between you guys, only that he must have done something real bad." "Yes, It was something real bad" Ephram confirmed. "It's ok Ephram, I don't want to know." Delia said sadly "I just really hope you will forgive him because I don't like to see you fight." "I know Delia. And I will forgive him" Ephram promised "I just don't know whether I am ready yet."


	7. Jingle Spells

Chapter Seven: Jingle Spells

Later that day Ephram and Delia were sitting side by side on the living room couch, Delia curled up against Ephram. They were watching "A Christmas Story." "I love this movie. It's so funny" Delia said smiling. "Especially the scenes with the sexy leg lamp and the one with the Chinese waiters singing 'tis the season to be jolly, Fa Ra Ra Ra Ra, Ra Ra Ra Ra." "You forgot the pink bunny costume." Ephraim said. "Yes you're right" Delia laughed. "That scene is hilarious!" Just at this moment Andy entered the house carrying a tall Christmas tree. "What do you think kids?" he asked as he carried it into the living room. "100 percent Douglas fir. Who says you can't buy a beautiful Christmas tree one day before Christmas Eve?!" "Oh, oh!" Delia said. "What?" Andy asked. "I'm sorry Dad, but tall doesn't automatically mean beautiful." Ephram just smirked. It was indeed a quite ugly tree. Its branches were irregular in lenght and quite sparse below the top.

"Doesn't matter. After we decorate it, it'll look just perfect." Andy said setting it up in the living room. He then went up to the attic to get the light chains, baubles and other Christmas decorations. While he was gone, Ephram asked Delia "What do you think? Hot cocoa?" "Definitely" Delia answered grinning, knowing exactly why he had asked this question. They both knew from experience that their father wasn't very good at decorating Christmas trees, but that he made the best hot cocoa in the world. It had become part of their Christmas traditions in the last few years to lure him out with the request for hot cocoa so they could decorate the tree in peace. Andy was grateful just the same, because he didn't particularly like decorating it anyway. Ephram and Delia, on the other hand, were quite good at it.

While Ephram and Delia were decorating the tree, Andy made hot cocoa with milk, real cocoa powder and sugar. When it was ready he scooped it into big mugs that had Santa Clause faces and put some miniature marshmallows on top. Ephram and Delia, who made a good team at decorating trees, were finished too. Because it was dark already they turned off all the lights, except the lights on the tree, to admire their work while drinking hot cocoa and eating Christmas cookies. "Wow, this is the most beautiful Christmas tree I have ever seen" Andy said. Even though other people might have found this sentence exaggerated, Ephram knew that his father had meant every single word and the proud look on Delia's face made them both happy.

"Hey kiddo, want to go for some Christmas shopping?" Ephram asked his sister after they had finished their cocoa. "Yes sure" Delia answered "I wanted to ask you already. We still need some ingredients for our gingerbread house. You promised to bake one with me, remember?" "Of course, how could I forget" Ephram answered smiling "Ok, grab your coat then and meet me outside in five minutes." Even though Christmas was very close, many people seemed to have had the same idea, so it took Ephram a long time to find a parking spot. They had to walk a bit to reach the shops on Everwood's main street. It wasn't too bad though as the weather was fine and the streets were decorated beautifully. After ten minutes of walking, they stopped in front of Everwood's only department store. A man dressed as Santa was ringing a Christmas bell. "Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas!" he said "Please give some money for the homeless!" Ephram gave him a dollar note and then turned to talk to Delia "Ok, I want to go in here. Why don't you go to the market already and we meet there in half an hour or so." "Yeah, that's a good idea" Delia said smiling knowingly and walked off. Ephram went into the store.

He was just looking at some earrings when he felt someone turning the jewellery stand in the opposite direction he wanted it to go. But before he could complain he heard a familiar voice saying "Ephram! What are you doing here?" It was Amy. "Amy, hey! I didn't know it was you" Ephram said surprised "Looking for some last minute Christmas presents?" "No, actually I am finished with them already." Amy answered. "I am here with Hannah. Just to have a look around and enjoy the Christmas decorations. She will be spending Christmas at our house, can you believe it?" "Yes I can" Ephram smirked. "Bright told me all about it." "And you didn't say anything?" Amy said pretending to be angry and started punching him in the ribs. "Hey hey, you got to stop being so violent." Ephram said grabbing her wrists to stop her from punching "It's not my fault. Bright told me to keep it a secret because they wanted to surprise you." Amy quickly freed her hands because she knew that him holding them any longer would only make her feel uncomfortable. And after last night she didn't want to show any more signs of weakness in front of Ephram.

"What about you? What are you doing here?" Amy asked to take up their talk again. "Did you develop a liking for cross-dressing lately or who are the earrings for?" she asked teasingly. "I assure you I am entirely confident with my sexuality and I don't fancy cross-dressing" Ephram answered laughing "And to answer your question. I am looking for another present for Delia. I got her a sweater already but since she had her ears pierced a while ago I thought she might also like some pretty earrings." "You are very lucky then" Amy said smiling "you just met a jewellery expert. I will help you find the perfect earrings for Delia." "Yeah? What about these ones then?" Ephram asked pointing at a pair he liked. "No, too big." Amy started scanning the rows of earrings. But instead of doing the same, Ephram was just looking at her, observing her. He was grateful for her help. Women were much better at this stuff he thought. In a typical Amy expression she squinched her eyes and bit her lips in concentration. Ephram had seen it a hundred times before but he still found it cute. Suddenly her eyes lit up. "Oh my god! These are perfect!" she exclaimed pointing at another pair of earrings. "They are sexy, but not too sexy and they are also girly. Believe me, Delia will love them!"

Just at this moment Hannah walked around the corner saying "Amy, I found the ideal present for your mother! Just look at this cashmere-wool mix scarf, isn't it divine?" and then spotting Ephram she said "Oh Ephram, I didn't see you." After exchanging the obligatory greetings Hannah asked "So are you here with someone?" "Yeah, I came with Delia. But she is currently in the market. Amy helped me pick out a present for her." "Let me see" Hannah said "Oh yes, they are pretty. Amy always had a good taste in jewellery." Because no one said anything after that, Ephram suddenly had the feeling he was disturbing some female shopping ritual or something like that. "So I guess this is goodbye for now" he said "I'll just pay for these and then go find Delia. But we should go out together sometime." Just as he turned around to walk towards the till, Hannah interrupted him. "Ephram wait! I am coming with you. I want to buy this scarf. It's lovely Amy, right?" "Yes, it's very nice."Amy agreed. _That went quite well_ Amy thought when they were gone. She had spent almost ten minutes with Ephram without embarrassing herself. Maybe she wasn't really in love with him after all. _I am not in love with Ephram. I am not in love with Ephram _she told herself. Amy wanted to believe it. But deep inside she knew that she was. _Damn it, I think I am going insane _she thought.

When Amy and Hannah got home about an hour later, Harold and Rose were sitting comfortably on the living room couch drinking mulled wine and looking at some old family photo albums. "Hey you two," Harold said "Did you enjoy your shopping trip?" "Yes thanks Dr. Abbott" Hannah said. "You want to join us? We are just looking at some old pictures." "No thanks Dad" Amy said knowing that it would only result in her father telling endless stories of her and Bright as kids and she was not in the mood for that now. She quickly dragged Hannah upstairs and into her bedroom. "Hannah, I have to tell you something." Amy said after she had shut the door. "Yeah, about what?" Hannah asked sitting down on Amy's bed. "Remember when I told you all about Colin yesterday and about how happy I am with him?" Amy said "Well, that wasn't the entire truth." When Hannah looked at her questioningly Amy went on "I mean, it's not that I don't love him, I really think I do. But I have been thinking a lot these past few days. I remembered a conversation I had with my dad a few years ago. In this conversation I asked him whether he thought it possible to be in love with two people at the same time." "What? I don't understand..." Hannah interrupted her. "Do you mean to say you're in love with someone else apart from Colin?" Amy nodded and said "Yes exactly." "But with who?" Hannah asked "Oh my god, it's Ephram, isn't it? You are still in love with him!"

Amy didn't need to answer to tell Hannah she was right. Her sad face told everything. "I don't know what to do Hannah. I don't want to lose any of them." "I know you don't" Hannah said sympathetically. "So what should I do?" Amy asked. "I can't tell you that." Hannah said apologising "I wish I could, but you'll really have to figure this out yourself. You have to ask yourself who you love more and who you would rather spend the rest of your life with. If you got your answer, then voila, this probably is the person you should be with. The only advice I can give you now is to take your time and not to rush anything." "Why does this have to be so complicated" Amy cried. She let herself fall head first onto her bed and buried her face in her pillow.


	8. Snow Festival

Chapter Eight: Snow Festival

One afternoon, not long after Christmas, Ephram, Bright, Hannah, Amy and Colin had driven the thirty miles to their neighbouring valley to visit Hamilton's famous annual Snow Festival. Jenna, who had come up with the idea in the first place, met them in the old town. "Welcome to Hamilton" she said spreading her arms like the host of a circus greeting his audience. Ephram laughed. He knew she was acting because he had seen her do it before, on a stage in Juilliard. It was amazing, he thought, how she became this all different person when she was acting, so unlike her usual shy being. "Founded in 1842 by Sir George Hamilton, an immigrant from Scotland, it's one of the oldest towns in Colorado." Jenna went on. "To your right you can see the old town hall and to your left St. Mary's church. But we will be going in this direction" she said pointing to a nearby street lit by old fashioned street lamps.

"Let's go guys" Jenna said "Oak Creek Park is straight ahead. That's where our Snow Festival takes place every year between Christmas and New Year's Eve." They started walking towards the park. "Actually, it should be called Ice Festival, because of the many ice sculptures" Jenna continued. "It's a carving competition and there is a new theme every year. Last year it was 'Classic Egypt' and this year it is 'The Enchanted Forest'" When they had reached the park and entered it they stopped for a second to take in the many impressions. The regular lamps of the park had been turned off, so the only light came from the many ice sculptures that were illuminated by colourful spotlights making them shine like crystals in the dark. There were flower fairies and wood sprites, the Snow Queen and other famous fairy tale characters all carved in ice. "It really looks like an enchanted forest. It's beautiful" Hannah said in amazement. "Yeah, it's really cool" Bright agreed. "The only ice sculpture we ever see in Everwood is the Melting Man at Thaw Fest each year, but he is a joke compared to these."

"Hey, that's you over there" Ephram told Jenna a good while later pointing to the ice sculptures of Snowwhite and her seven dwarfs. "Yeah? Where's my seven dwarfs then?" she hit back at him "Do you mean to say you are one of them?" "I think I am going to be sick" Amy whispered into Hannah's ear and rolled her eyes. It was obvious Ephram and Jenna were flirting. But afraid that the others would notice something, Hannah just told her to be quiet and then said so that everyone could hear "Am I imagining it or can I hear carousel music?" "No, you are not imagining it" Jenna answered. "There is a fair over there. You just can't see it from here because the trees are in the way. So what do you guys think? Want to go for some rides?" "I am all for it. As long as there is enough food there" Bright said rubbing his belly "Because I am starving." "I am sure you won't be disappointed" Jenna answered laughing.

"Hey, they got a Ferris wheel!" Amy exclaimed happily when the fair came into view. "Ephram, want to go for a ride with me later?" "Yeah, sure" he answered. Colin gave her a weird look, he didn't understand why Amy had asked Ephram instead of him. For Amy though it was only natural that she had chosen Ephram. To her mind Ephram and Ferris wheels just belonged together. They always reminded her of their first Thaw Fest, the day she had told him her nickname was Grover. It was a memory she would always keep close to her heart. It had been the day Ephram and her had first met outside of school. They had gone for a Ferris wheel ride together and from that moment on Amy had just known Ephram was someone special. She had to laugh when memories of the fifteen year old Ephram came back to her mind. There had been something very strange about him coming from New York with his purple hair and the way he had acted but also something she had found very interesting. They had soon become friends, much more than just friends actually. Amy was sure he still knew her better than anyone else did.

After they had spend an hour at the fair, they stood in front of the Ferris wheel once more. Amy just had to look at Ephram to make him understand. "I'll get the tickets already" he said. "Wait, I am coming with you" Amy answered decidedly. Sensing Colin's annoyance Jenna said "Come on, I'll buy you a hot dog" and grabbing him by his sleeve she dragged him over to the hot dog stand. Bright and Hannah, who were just sharing a helping of candy floss and were constantly kissing each other between the single bites, didn't get any of this confusion. After they had bought their tickets, Ephram helped Amy into the passenger car. When he climbed in after her and sat down next to her, Amy realised there wasn't much space in it and they had to sit very close.

A minute or two later the Ferris wheel started moving. When they reached its top for the third time it suddenly stopped. It was freezing cold up there and their cheeks and noses quickly turned pink. But the view was amazing. To their right they could see the snow covered mountains rising like giants into the night sky and below them were the many multi-coloured lights of the fair. The lights of the Ferris wheel, on the other hand, were just bright enough to softly surround them. _Very romantic indeed_ Ephram thought. If Amy had still been his girlfriend he would probably be kissing her senseless by now.

Snow had started to fall again. Amy turned her head to watch it and Ephram turned his head to watch her. "It was quite windy outside earlier, so I thought we would get another snowstorm" she said "But this is the quiet, gentle kind of snow. I just love to watch it, all these tiny little flakes that are barely visible in the dark..." When Ephram didn't say anything, she turned her head around again, realising that her face was just a few inches away from his now. The air between them was electrifying. Ephram couldn't stop looking at her. Her lips were bright red from the candied apple she had eaten before. Ephram wondered if they tasted as sweet as they looked. Probably. He lifted his hand to gently touch her cheek. _Oh my god_, Amy thought, _he is__ going to kiss me_.

As he leaned forwards, Amy opened her lips a little, but instead of kissing them, Ephram just kissed her forehead. It was a small and sweet kiss but enough to make Amy's blood stir, leaving her want more. But Ephram just kept looking at her, looking into her soft brown eyes. And Amy looked back at him confused. Ephram desperately wanted to touch her to feel her soft skin again and he wanted to kiss her to taste the sweetness of her mouth. But he knew he had no right to. She was still with Colin after all. _My sweet little Amy,_ Ephram thought, _I can't always be the one to give you answers. But if you were to choose me, I would never stop kissing you... _He could tell she was very nervous. _One… Two… Three_ he counted in his thoughts and she quickly looked away. As if to say that everything between them was okay, Ephram took her hand in his and soothingly brushing his thumb over it, he held it until the ride was over. Amy didn't have the courage to look at him anymore, but she had clearly calmed down when she finally stepped out of the passenger car.

After they had joined the others again, Jenna asked "Ephram, want to have a go on the Ghost train?" When he hesitated she said "Oh come on, you are not afraid of fake ghosts, are you?" Ephram, who wouldn't stand for that, went with her. "See, you are still alive." Jenna teased him when the ride was over. Because Amy and Colin were nowhere to be seen Ephram asked "Where did Amy and Colin go?" "Oh, Amy said she was tired. So they went home already" Hannah explained eyeing him curiously. "Luckily, Colin and her came in his car then" he just said. He could tell by the look on her face that Hannah was suspecting something but fortunately she didn't ask any questions.

Later that night, as Ephram lay in his bed, he was thinking about what had happened on the Ferris wheel. He wondered if he had done the right thing. Should he have kissed Amy on the lips? After all she would have let him. But she was someone else's girlfriend, and even though Ephram was almost sure she had feelings for him that went far beyond friendship, no words had been spoken and no actions had been taken on her side. No, he decided, he wouldn't do anything until she was free again and clearly indicated that this was what she wanted.


	9. Best Mates

Chapter Nine: Best Mates

A couple of days later, Ephram was just sitting on his piano bench playing, when Andy walked in. Ephram didn't notice him at first, but when he did his father started talking to him. "Wow, this is amazing. I almost forgot how good you are. I would say you are even better than you used to be." "Well, Juilliard has very good teachers" Ephram replied. "Still, I think you are brilliant" Andy said proudly. "Thank you Dad." "How did you get in anyway? You never told me." Andy asked. "When I went to London for the second time I was kind of short of money. So I started playing at this Jazz Bar to make some extra cash. And there I met Matthew Davies."

"Oh, he is this famous piano player from England, isn't he?" Andy said. "I have seen him play on TV. He is very good." "Dad, he isn't just good. He is a genius." Ephram replied "Plus he is from Cardiff, that's in Wales and not in England." "Oh, I didn't know." Andy said apologetically. "Doesn't matter" Ephram sighed. "The main thing is, that he got me another Juilliard audition. For some strange reason he liked my playing when we first met. We got to talk, he said he knew someone influential at Juilliard and promised to try get another audition for me. So I gave him my cell phone number. I never really thought anything would come out of it, but apparently I was wrong, because two days later I got a call from Juilliard. After that everything happened really fast. I was very lucky, I guess."

"I am so happy for you" Andy said sincerely "I know it has always been your dream to become a pianist. And after what happened last summer with the messed up Juilliard audition, I was just devastated. I know it was my fault." Ephram knew what was about to come. His father would try to apologise again for not telling him about Madison's pregnancy, like he had done so many times before. Not that Ephram had ever really listened or tried to understand why his father had kept this huge secret from him in the first place. These conversations between father and son had usually ended with Ephram leaving the room, or Ephram telling his father to go to hell. Nevertheless, Andy kept on trying, always hoping that his son would forgive him one day.

Today was no exception, so it didn't surprise Ephram when Andy went ahead by saying "I am so sorry…" Maybe it was also a matter of habit when Ephram interrupted him "Stop it Dad. I don't want to hear about it anymore." Andy was very disappointed. He had really hoped today would be different. Ephram watched him leave the room, thinking about how sad his father had looked. Then all of a sudden the conversations with Jenna and Delia came back to his mind and Ephram realised he wasn't mad at his father anymore. "Dad wait!" he called out to him. Andy turned around surprised. Ephram looked on the floor for a few seconds as if to weigh his words, then looked up at him and said "I want you to know that I will never forget what happened with Madison or what you did. But I forgive you." "That's all I am asking for" Andy answered feeling tears well up in his eyes "I am so glad." Within a matter of seconds Ephram felt himself being pulled into a hug. He felt awkwardness at first, then nothing but security. It was the moment when Ephram realised how truly relieved he was.

The next morning, Ephram's piano practice was interrupted once again, but this time by the ringing telephone. "Hello?" Ephram spoke into the receiver after he had picked it up. "Ephram hi, it's me" "Jenna hey" Ephram said surprised. "What are you up to?" she asked. "Nothing much. I just practiced some piano. What about you?" "Nothing" she answered "Actually, I was wondering if you would like to come over this afternoon. My family has gone out and I could use some company. So what do you think?" "Yeah sure. Why not." Ephram answered "I mean, I would love to come over. Want me to bring anything along?" "No, just yourself" Jenna laughed quietly "and some appetite. I thought we could maybe christen that Christmas present of yours and then later watch some DVDs. "Sounds good" Ephram said. "That reminds me" Jenna added "could you go rent some DVDs on your way here?" "Yeah sure, no problem" Ephram said. "You got my address, right?" she asked. "Yeah. I will go online print out a map before I leave." "That's a good idea" Jenna answered "You won't get lost then." The doorbell of the Brown house was ringing, but Ephram didn't feel like answering it, so he just continued talking to Jenna.

"I'll get it" Delia called when no one else seemed to be bothered, stood up from the living room couch and ran towards the front door. When she opened it she saw it was Bright. "Hi Bright" she said shyly. "Hello, Miss Brown" he said gallantly taking her hand and giving it a kiss. "Why don't you come in" Delia asked hoping he hadn't seen her blush. "Ephram is on the phone. I will go call him." Bright walked into the living room and let himself fall down sloppily on the couch. "Ephram, Bright's here" Delia let Ephram know and then walked back into the living room to sit down next to Bright. "He'll be here in a minute" she told him. "Okay" Bright said and then asked "I see you were just watching Spongebob. What episode is it?" "Oh, it's the one where Spongebob learns to tie his shoes." Delia replied "You know it?" "Yeah, I think I have seen it before. Spongebob is cool." Bright said smiling at her. Delia was happy. They actually had something in common, even if it was just a stupid cartoon character. She really liked Bright. He was always nice to her and the only man that didn't treat her like a little kid.

At just this moment Ephram walked in. "Bugger off, Delia" he said crossly giving her a nasty look. "You are mean!" she whined and left the room. "Was that really necessary?" Bright asked when Delia was gone. "I mean for a girl of her age she is pretty cool. I wouldn't mind her sticking around a bit longer" "Yeah it was necessary. I wanted to talk to you" Ephram answered. "Yeah, about what? And who were you on the phone with this whole time anyway?" Bright asked curiously. "It was Jenna" Ephram answered "she invited me over for this afternoon. Apparently her parents and her brother won't be there, so we'll have the whole house to ourselves." "Congrats man, seems like you are finally gonna get laid again. About time if you ask me" Bright said raising his hand to give Ephram a high five. But Ephram didn't slap it "What are you talking about?" he just asked. "It's not like that. Jenna and I are just friends." "Yeah, sure" Bright said looking at him disbelieving. "You two were only flirting the whole evening at the fair the other night. But that's what friends do, right?" "What? We were not flirting" Ephram said. "Yeah, you were" Bright answered. "Even a blind man would have noticed it." "No, you are wrong. I assure you it wasn't flirting" Ephram said trying to convince him. "Whatever" Bright sighed not wanting to fight about this any longer.

"So how is your family?" Ephram asked to bring up another topic and to lead their conversation in the direction he wanted it to go "And how is your sister? Did she get home okay the other night?" "Yes, she did. Why do you ask?" Bright said. "No particular reason" Ephram lied "I just wondered that's all. Did she say anything about me?" "No she didn't actually. Why would she?" Bright said and following a sudden inspiration he added "Unless…Did anything happen between you two on that Ferris wheel? Did you kiss or something?" "Yeah, or something…" Ephram answered feeling slightly uncomfortable. "I can't believe it!" Bright exclaimed "That's why you denied having flirted with want to get back together with my sister! What the hell happened between you guys when you were up there?" Ephram told him the whole story and after he had finished he asked Bright "What do you think it means?" "I am pretty sure it doesn't mean anything." Bright answered indifferently. "But don't you understand?" Ephram called out angrily "She would have let me kiss her! Do you really think your sister would kiss someone without any feelings involved?"

"Okay, maybe you almost kissed, so what?" Bright answered shrugging his shoulders. "Women's emotions are complex, Ephram. I mean with the history you two have, she probably just had a weak moment. I am not trying to be mean or anything, but you really shouldn't get your hopes up. I think it is very unlikely that you and Amy are ever going to be an item again. You had your chance. It would be different if she came to you and actually told you she wanted to get back together. But Ephram, I honestly don't think this is going to happen anytime soon. Why else would she be spending almost all her time with Colin these days?" "She is?" Ephram asked disappointed. "Yeah, I am afraid so" Bright answered.

"But hey" Bright said to cheer him up "there is loads of other hot chicks, I mean beautiful women, out there. Jenna is just one of them. But honestly man, she is totally hot for your ass. You would be stupid if you didn't take her. She is smart and she is funny. What else do you want? Plus she has also got a pretty hot ass herself." "Yeah, maybe you are right" Ephram answered sadly. And after a minute of thinking he said pretending to be alright again "Why were you looking at her ass anyway? Does Hannah know?" "No, and you are not going to tell her" Bright said slightly irritated. "Seriously man, I like looking at other women once in a while, but I would never cheat on Hannah. She is amazing. I don't know what it is, maybe she has bewitched me or something, but lately I can really imagine what it would be like to spend the rest of my life with her. And the thought that there will only ever be one woman for me doesn't scare me anymore, it actually makes me happy. Can you understand that?" "Yes I can" Ephram said sincerely. "You love her and she loves you back. I am really happy for you man." "Thank you, man" Bright said. "I am sure you will find someone that will make you feel this way too. Just forget about Amy. Believe me, craving for her won't do you any good."

Delia re-entered the living room, a big bowl of popcorn in her hands, and sat down in between Bright and Ephram. Before Ephram could protest, Bright said "You are the best Delia! How did you know I was hungry?" grabbed a handful of popcorn and shoved it into his mouth. Delia turned her head to give Ephram a victorious look. Ephram just said "You don't exactly need to be a clairvoyant to know that as you are always hungry." "Not my fault man, I have a bad digestion" Bright answered. "Most of the food I eat just goes through me without taking any effect." "No offence man, but I don't really want to know about your digestion." Ephram said. "But I got to go now anyway. See you later, okay?" "Okay, good luck" Bright said crossing his fingers for him. "What about you Delia? Want to go watch a movie or something?" "Yeah, sure" she answered happily. Ephram walked up the stairs and into his room to get changed. He was confused. After what had happened at the fair, he had been so sure about Amy's feelings for him. Now he wasn't so sure anymore. What if Bright was right and it had really just been a weak moment?


	10. Sam's Diner

Chapter Ten: Sam's Diner

Sam's Diner was unusually empty for 2 o'clock in the afternoon, Hannah and Amy noted when they walked in. Hannah, who had just moved back in with Nina a few days ago, had agreed to meet Amy for some afternoon girlfriend coffee klatsch. "So what's new in the Feeney house?" Amy asked her friend after they had sat down comfortably at one of the tables by the window from where they could overlook most of Everwood's main street. "And how did Nina and Sam like California?" "They liked it very much and they both look very rested" Hannah answered. "Apparently Jake's parents have this massive ranch just an hour and a half outside of L.A. where they are even breeding their own horses. Sam had his first riding lessons there and he enjoyed them so much that he didn't want to leave anymore." "Yeah? I am afraid of horses, but it still sounds nice." Amy answered. "So what about Nina?" she added "Did she ever think about staying there?" "Not sure" Hannah answered "from what she has told me, Jake's parents are very nice people and they really liked her and Sam. I still don't think Nina would move away that easily considering she has lived in Everwood all her life and has all her friends and family living here. But you never know what could happen, right?"

"Hi you two, what can I get you?" the waitress asked them. After they had ordered, Hannah asked "So what about you? I haven't seen or heard much of you these last few days. What have you been up to all this time?" "I spent a lot of time with Colin." Amy answered "I thought it would help me figure out how I feel about him and about Ephram.""And did it?" Hannah interrupted her "I mean have you made a decision yet?" "No, not really." Amy sighed. "I thought that if I spent more time with Colin it would make me forget my feelings for Ephram, because it would be the best for all of us, wouldn't it? Well, except for Ephram of course. If he actually still loves me that is." "I am sure he does. But I don't think it's that easy." Hannah said shaking her head "You can't push your feelings down forever, Amy, not if you really love Ephram. Besides he has feelings too, you know" "Yeah, I know…" Amy answered sadly.

"There you go girls, cappuccino, hot chocolate and two blueberry muffins." the waitress said when she came back to put their order on the table. "Thank you, Lucy" Hannah replied happily and took a big bite of her muffin."I am sorry" she mumbled while chewing "but I haven't had anything to eat since early this morning and I am starving. Nina has started a cleaning marathon and there was no getting through to the kitchen earlier because the floor was all wet." "It's ok " Amy laughed "You can order something else if you like. How about a nice burger?" "No, I am fine" Hannah answered. "It's not like I went thin over the holidays with your mom's excellent cooking and everything. No offence, but another week at your place and I probably wouldn't be able to fit into my jeans anymore. "I know" Amy sighed "the world is unjust. Some people, including my stupid brother, can eat as much as they want and never get fat." "Yeah?" Hannah asked "where is Bright anyway. "I have no idea" Amy answered "he took the car earlier today. Probably hanging out with Ephram or Colin now. That reminds me, Colin and I are going to watch a movie later. You want to join us?"

"I really wish I could" Hannah answered "but I promised to help Nina with the laundry. She is probably already waiting for me and I am afraid I have to leave soon." "Aww, that's too bad" Amy answered disappointedly " I really wish you would come with us. After all we will be going back to New York in a few days. You have to promise me that we will see each other again before we leave." "Of course we will see each other, you wouldn't just sneak off without saying goodbye, would you? Also I am thinking about bugging you by coming over to New York for the Easter holidays. What do you say now?" "That's a great idea" Amy replied excitedly "You definitely have to come. I will show you all my favourite places." "That's a deal then" Hannah answered happily. "Deal" Amy agreed "I guess I will just call Colin now, ask him if he can be here a little bit earlier so we can have a drink before the movie starts."

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It was a beautiful January afternoon. Not many cars were on the road so Ephram let his mind wander once again to the two beautiful women that had occupied his thoughts almost constantly during the last few days. For one there was Jenna. Cute and innocent Jenna who had become one of his most trusted friends during the last couple of months in New York. He couldn't deny she held a sort of fascination for him. And it wasn't just her body. She was a silent water, just like him, and he was curious to get to know her better. And then there was Amy, the woman he loved and would probably never stop loving. He was pretty sure she loved him too. There was one little problem though by the name of Colin Hart. Ephram wondered whether he still had a chance with her.

He parked his car on Everwood's main street just a stone's throw away from Tom's video store. Contemplating what films he should get, he let his gaze wander into the nearby shop windows. Just as he wondered whether he should get some flowers for Jenna that's when he saw them. Amy and Colin were sitting at a table by the window in Sam's Diner holding hands. Colin must have said something funny because Amy was laughing. Ephram thought they looked so lovey-dovey, definitely like they were in love. Bright was obviously right and they were happy together. _Who am I kidding?_ he thought sadly _I will never get her back and it's entirely my fault._

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Inside Sam's the conversation had once again reached the topic of sports. Even though Amy loved dancing and also enjoyed the occasional swim or jog, she didn't like team sports at all. Colin, on the other hand, was an avid non-professional player of football and basketball and rarely missed watching a game of his favourite teams. So when he started talking about last night's football game it was nothing out of the ordinary that Amy only listened half heartedly. It simply didn't interest her.

"Amy, Amy. Are you listening to me at all?" Colin lifted his hand and moved it around in front of her face to wake her up from her daze. "Huh" Amy said startled, all at once noticing what she had been doing. Outside on the other side of the road was Ephram who had just left the video store with a couple of DVDs in his hands. Suddenly Amy realized that she must have stared at him for quite some time. She froze in her seat hoping Colin wouldn't look there. But it was too late, as Colin had already turned his head around to look in exactly the same direction she had been staring into before. Disappointment appeared on his face and turning towards her again he spat "So that's why you weren't listening to me." "It's not what you are thinking." Amy tried to quieten his suspicions. "Yeah, what is it then, Amy?" Colin asked angrily. "Don't even try to talk me into believing that there is nothing going on between you guys." "But I haven't done anything" Amy said now on the verge of tears. "Maybe not yet, but you have been thinking about him, right?"

Amy felt horrible. So in her predicament, she stared into her drink to avoid his eyes and to collect her thoughts. She couldn't think of anything to say to prove him wrong that wasn't a lie, so she decided it was better to say nothing at all. Taking her silence as a confirmation, Colin said "I knew I was right. I've been watching you Amy. You haven't been yourself lately. And did you really think I wouldn't notice how you are always staring at him. You are, and there's no denying it!" "I don't know what to say"Amy said still avoiding his eyes. "Just tell me the truth." Colin replied "You owe me the truth, don't you think? And after a short moment of pondering silence he added sadly "You are still in love with him, aren't you? You probably always were, so how can I compete with that?"

"Colin, no!" Amy pleaded. But Colin had already made up his mind. "I am sorry, but I can't do this anymore. I can't have a girlfriend who is in love with someone else. It is driving me insane. You chose him over me before and I know it is going to happen again. It is just a matter of time. And it will break my heart. Again. But you know what? I won't let it happen this time. Not if I can do something about it first." Colin didn't need to say the words out loud. Amy knew exactly what he meant. He was breaking up with her. And there was nothing she could do or say to make him change his mind. "I am sorry" was all she said. She was too shocked to say much more. "It is not your fault. After all it's not our decision who we are in love with." Colin tried to still her "You should talk to Hannah or someone, all right? I will see you next Friday." "Yes ok" Amy answered. Colin got up from his seat, kissed her forehead one last time and then left the diner."


End file.
